Honda Honored as a "Highway Safety Hero" by the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety for Advancing Pedestrian Safety

TORRANCE, Calif., June 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Honda's commitment to introduce advanced vehicle designs aiming to reduce pedestrian injuries and enhance driver visibility with standard rearview camera application has earned Honda recognition as a "Highway Safety Hero" by the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates). For 2014, Honda was the sole company honored receiving the "Highway Safety Hero" award along with 26 current and former members of Congress, eight state officials and 14 citizen activists "in recognition of efforts to save lives, prevent injuries and make roads safer."

As part of its commitment to improving safety for all road users, Honda has led the U.S. automotive industry in the application of safety and driver assistive technologies as standard equipment – including features that aim to reduce injuries to pedestrians in a collision, such as collapsible hood hinges and breakaway windshield wiper pivots, with a focus on reducing severe head injuries, which account for roughly 60 percent of pedestrian fatalities.

Further, Honda has taken a comprehensive approach to the application of rearview cameras. More than 94 percent of Honda and Acura models sold in the U.S. in 2013 were equipped with standard rearview cameras. No other brand has as many models equipped with standard rearview cameras for the 2014 model year and by the 2015 model year, rearview cameras will be standard on all Honda and Acura models.

"For more than a decade, Honda has focused on reducing the threat of injuries to pedestrians as part of our 'Safety for Everyone' approach," said Chuck Thomas, chief safety engineer at Honda R&D Americas, Inc. who accepted the award on Honda's behalf. "As we continue to research other advanced technologies such as vehicle-to-pedestrian sensing technologies, this work will be an integral part of our dream to eliminate motor vehicle collisions entirely."

Rearview cameras are just one aspect of Honda's overall approach to enhanced driver visibility and situational awareness, demonstrated by the broad application of technologies such as Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) systems on Honda models. These systems use a camera mounted behind the windshield or a front mount radar system to identify and alert drivers to a potential collision with a vehicle detected in front of them, or to alert drivers if the car is unexpectedly moving out of a detected lane. Other available features aimed at improving driver visibility are the Expanded View Driver's Mirror, Honda LaneWatch display and Acura's Blind Spot Information (BSI) system.

For more detailed information about Honda's history of leadership in the development and application of advanced technologies and vehicle designs that are meant to enhance the safety of all road users, please view our Safety Issue Brief.

Honda Safety Leadership
Honda has a long history of leadership in the development and application of advanced technologies and designs meant to enhance the safety of all road users, including automobile occupants, motorcycle riders, and pedestrians. In advancing its designs, Honda developed the groundbreaking pedestrian crash test dummy POLAR II and later Polar III to better understand the dynamics of pedestrian collisions. The company also operates two of the world's most sophisticated crash test facilities and is responsible for numerous pioneering efforts in the areas of crashworthiness, airbag technology, collision compatibility and pedestrian safety. American Honda leads the industry for 2014 in third party crash test ratings with more models rated TOP SAFETY PICK and TOP SAFETY PICK+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) than any other manufacturer.

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SOURCE Honda